The Greater Majority Method

[New Democracy]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - January 18 1997
Greeting to Election Methods List,

On January 17 1997 DEMOREP1 wrote:

>The GMM has a problem with head to head pairings--
>100 voters.
>
>51  AB
>  1  BA
>48  B
>
>Totals 52 A, 100 B.
>B wins using GMM.
>A wins using head to head (using just the first choice votes 51 A, 49 B).

Donald writes:
     Why is this a problem? Two different methods may produce two different
winners - we see this happening at times - what is the problem? Are you
saying that your Head to Head method is the standard to measure other
methods by?
(by the way: what is the Head to head Method? I do not wish to assume.)

     No - GMM does not have a problem. GMM is true to itself - it will
elect the candidate that has the greatest support in the first two sets of
selections. Its  policy is enforced even if there is a majority candidate
in the first set of preferences.

     Who has the problem is the person that holds the belief that other
preferences should be considered when we decide the winner but their belief
has a On-Off switch that is turned off when there happens to be a majority
candidate in the first set of selections. Would that be you?

     Take another look at your example and state for us which candidate
"....seems like the most reasonable choice in this example" (Rob's quotes)

     If you say that A is the winner then I say where is your belief in
considering more prefernces? I say: you do not want to go there - because
it will open a can of worms - it will expose your belief to be a sham.

     Let me change your example by one vote to the following:

          50 AB    1 BA    49 B

     Now no candidate has a majority in the first set of selections. Which
candidate should win? Approval Voting and Instant Run-off both say
candidate B - what do you say? If you say B I accuse you of using the next
set of preferences to decide. Why is it you are willing to use two sets of
preferences now but only one set before I made the two candidates tied? Why
do you turn your belief on  and off? Why indeed? (How would your Head to
Head Method solve this tie?)

Donald Eric Davison of New Democracy at http://www.mich.com/~donald

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